Strange Bedfellows
by klarolineepiclove
Summary: She had everything she could have wanted. So how was it Caroline Forbes found herself suddenly single and being forced to room with her womanizing coworker all in one week? Suddenly Caroline is being forced to reevaluate everything she believed in, but as she searches for answers, can she forget about the one that got away and handle the one she never saw coming? Klaroline, AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

_**Strange Bedfellows**_

_**One minute she had it all: successful career, doting boyfriend, everything she could have ever wanted. So how was it Caroline Forbes found herself suddenly single and being forced to room with her womanizing coworker all in one week? Suddenly Caroline is being forced to reevaluate everything she believed in, but as she searches for answers, can she forget about the one that got away-and handle the one she never saw coming?**_

**A.N. Hello, friends! Welcome to yet ****_another_**** adventure where I attempt to write and let Klaroline take creative control. This time around, we've got a comedic turn on things, with a new brOTP taking hold: Carenzo. So hopefully you all enjoy this one as much as you have the others, and I can't wait to see where this story takes us thing time.**

**Thank you to Miranda, Becky and Katie for their beta help with this. Miranda often talks me off ledges during writing ventures, so my thanks is innumerable ****with her.**

**Chapter One**

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"Two bedroom, one and a half bath…"

"Half baths are atrocious. No."

Caroline sighed as she peered over the folded newspaper in her hand. Her brunette companion was lounging in a chair across the table, a steaming mug in one hand. Katherine was staring at her as she swiped her finger through the whipped topping, arching a pair of perfectly sculpted eyebrows as she shrugged. "It's true. Gross."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline leaned back in her seat, highlighter poised over the paper as she scanned the listings once more. "Okay. Two bedrooms, one bath, East Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn? Absolutely not. You'd get mugged just running down to the mailbox, and that's if you're lucky."

"Fine. Upper Manhattan, park view, one bedroom—"

Katherine barked out a laugh, grinning as she brought her whipped cream covered finger to her lips. "One bedroom? Where would I stay?"

"Maybe your own place, considering this apartment hunt isn't for you."

Katherine smirked, leaning back and propping her stiletto heeled feet on the table. "Sorry, chick pea, but this apartment hunt isn't for you either." She chuckled when her blonde friend merely hummed, turning her attention back the paper in her hands. "You are sloshing through the classifieds looking for your Barbie Dream House all because of a cryptic message on your voicemail. One that might not mean what you even think it means."

Caroline bit the inside of her cheek as Katherine spoke. It wasn't the first time the brunette had made her opinion known. After all, it was what Katherine was famous for—a no nonsense, straight shooting opinion. As the columnist for the New York Bugle's society section, Katherine Pierce was a top notch gossip. Caroline had lost count over the number of celebrities and politicians she'd ripped apart with her scathing remarks. She pointed out the obvious, and didn't sugar coat anything, which led to a very passionate love/hate relationship with their readers and the general public. As long as they weren't the victims of Katherine's weekly reports, they drank up every juicy detail she laid out on the page.

Her most recent remarks, however, seemed to revolve around Caroline. Or, well, Caroline and her relationship, that is.

Since Caroline had told Katherine about Tyler and the "cryptic" message he'd left on her machine three days ago, about how they needed to discuss their future and their next steps, the gossip queen had been the poster child for pessimism._ "It just seems a little too cryptic to mean 'let's move in together,' you know?"_

_"__Well, what else would the next step be? I mean, for God's sakes, we've been together for over three years, Katherine. It was going to happen sooner or later. Clearly Tyler decided on sooner."_

_She tried to ignore the skeptical arch of the brunette's brow as she stared at her._

_Caroline was an eternal optimist, as Katherine liked to point out. And it served her well, as the advice columnist for the New York Bugle. While answering anonymous letters about family spats and bad breakups hadn't originally been her idea of a career, she'd found her niche among advice to take things slow, talk things out, and occasionally kick the certain someone to the curb. And every now and then, she'd get a reply letter, thanking her for her advice and letting her know things had worked out. Those letters always meant a lot to her._

_"__Oh, please, you love it because you get to boss people around," Katherine would always quip, and she'd roll her eyes and scan the next letter with a smile._

_Katherine hummed, propping her chin on her hand as she peered down at her computer screen. "Whatever you say, chick pea."_

Caroline ignored the burning gaze of her friend, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she slashed at the paper with her highlighter. "Upper East Side?" she asked hopefully, her mind drifting to bright color patterns with a balcony overlooking the city, her socked feet resting across Tyler's lap as they stretched across a luscious duvet in the early morning hours.

Katherine sighed, more than familiar with Caroline's habit of deflection, and shrugged, heels scraping the table as she slid her feet back to the floor. "It's doable, I suppose…how close to Prada are we talking?"

Caroline smiled, her eyes lifting to the doorway when she heard approaching footsteps. She recognized the petite form standing just outside the break room as one of the new interns. Greta Martin was a dark skinned beauty with long dark hair, and a zest for journalism that Caroline always admired. But at the moment, all Caroline could do was scoff and arch an eyebrow as she watched Greta giggle and grin up at the man leaning on the doorjamb next to her.

As the resident Arts columnist for the New York Bugle, Klaus Mikaelson exuded charm and sophistication which, when coupled with his good looks and European accent, led to the cocky, egotistical jerk Caroline knew today.

Klaus had started at the newspaper not long after Caroline, sweeping in with his well traveled portfolio and seemingly never-ending knowledge of all things happening in the art world. At first she'd been impressed. She'd been excited to see what he would bring to their paper with his travels and know-how. Given his age she was sure he could do it in a way that was relatable to their readers, most of whom she had no doubt had barely been out of the state, let alone across the world. She'd welcomed him with a smile and a handshake, even ignoring the way his eyes lingered a bit too long on her chest and the way his smile widened when Tiki Palmer swayed her hips passed them with her cart of coffee.

If only she'd realized then what a distaste she would develop for the pompous, womanizing journalist.

Sensing her distraction, Katherine finally looked up, following her line of sight and groaning when she saw the duo in the doorway. "Yuck."

"Greta's the last of the new bunch he hasn't broken in yet," Caroline quipped with a shake of her head, turning back to her newspaper even though her eyes remained on Klaus and Greta.

"You'd think those dimwitted women would talk to each other or something," Katherine commented, brown curls flying as she turned her head. "You know, share their experiences and what not. Warn each other off about the walking stud bull who just wants a new notch in the bedpost."

Caroline sighed, circling a two bedroom ad across from Central Park. "Well, they're young and stupid."

"Doesn't give you much hope for the youth of the future, does it?" Katherine mused, dipping her finger into her cappuccino once more.

The blonde shook her head with a smile, lifting her gaze once more to see Klaus ducking his head towards Greta, lips brushing her ear as his hand danced around her hips, an impossibly girlish giggle slipping past the young girl's lips. Klaus shot Greta a roguish smirk, shooting her a wink as he leaned back, whispering something to her quietly before turning and heading into the conference room.

Caroline's gaze met Greta's, her brows lifting when the younger girl's skin darkened and she turned around quickly, flustered when she realized they'd had an audience. The blonde rolled her eyes, watching as Klaus headed for the coffee machine, flipping a mug into his hands. "Wasn't there a sexual harassment seminar not too long ago, Kat? Something about…inappropriate work behavior or something like that?" she asked, smirking when Klaus turned to her with a sigh and an eyeroll.

Katherine shrugged, sipping her steaming beverage with a smirk.

"Well, clearly you weren't paying attention, if what you witnessed is something you'd categorize as harassment, sweetheart," Klaus crooned, shaking several sugar packets and dumping them into his coffee.

"Mmm, preying on the youth and innocence of hopeful young women sounds pretty despicable to me," Katherine chimed in.

Klaus laughed, making his way towards their small table as he lifted the steaming mug to his lips. "Believe me, Greta is far from the picture of innocence, and is able to do such wondrous things that would make even the most tarnished lady of the night blush, but left me quite satisfied."

Caroline shook her head, cringing. "You're so gross," she scoffed, shifting in her seat.

"Well, to each their own," Klaus replied, smirking as he reached out and snatched the newspaper from Caroline's grasp, grinning at her affronted gasp, twisting out of the grasp of her reaching hand. "Keeping an eye on the competition, love?"

"Klaus, would you just—,"

"Oh, in need of a change of scenery then? You know, you'd be surprised how many serial killers and vagrants advertise in the classifieds. Hardly safe in the slightest bit."

Caroline gritted her teeth as she stood next to him, narrowing her eyes when he peeked at her from the corner of his, lifting the mug to his smirking lips. She crossed her arms, nodding in annoyance. "Yes, and sexual perverts are apparently writing for the arts column. Would you give it back, please?"

"Not to mention they're always so deceitful. 'Cozy' usually means small, 'spacious' no doubt means there are walls missing, and 'pet friendly,' well, I'm afraid you're most likely to encounter wild animals roaming the halls. Can't trust the classifieds in the slightest."

"See?" Katherine said, smiling as tossed her dark curls over her shoulder. "Even the neanderthal understands that."

Caroline sighed at the grin the two shared, reaching out and snatching the paper from Klaus' hands, tucking it beneath her arm as she crossed them over her chest once more. "Go ahead, make your fun. I don't care," she huffed.

"You shouldn't be so sensitive, sweetheart." He watched the blonde roll her eyes and settle into her seat, snapping the paper back to her eye line and lifting a pink highlighter into her hand. "Though, you know, Caroline, if you're in need of a new place of residence, I do happen to be renting out the second bedroom of my flat." When she snapped her gaze up towards him, he shrugged. "Mate of mine was living there, but he's gone and met a girl, and the two are well on their way to their happily ever afters in a little condo across the city, so…"

"Wait," Caroline squinted, a bubble of laughter slipping past her lips as she sat the paper down and twisted in her seat to look at him. "You have a friend?"

"Yes, many as a matter of fact. Shocking, I'm well aware."

"I think what's shocking here is the fact that Casanova just invited you to move in with him," Katherine stated, chuckling. "Do you even realize what an absolute disaster that would be, Mikaelson?"

"Well, not so much of one. Caroline gets to live in a place where she's not likely to be murdered in her sleep, and I gain a flatmate who's far less crazy than most of lunatics I'd be interviewing. It's quite a win-win, in my opinion."

Caroline laughed, shaking her head. "Well, as appealing as rooming with the devil in disguise may be," she said, ignoring his eye roll, "it might be a little crowded, what with Tyler moving in too."

"Oh, so the apartment hunt is for a love nest with the young Mr. Lockwood," Klaus mocked, shaking his head as he turned on his heel.

Caroline scoffed. "It is not a love nest, and you can keep the judgement to yourself, Mr. I-Have-A-Flavor-Of-The-Week-Every-Freaking-Day."

"Yes, to which I go into with no delusions that it's more than what it is. There's no foolish notions of true love and happy endings." He stopped his steps, shrugging with a grin. "Well…"

"Oh my God," Caroline laughed, slamming the paper back onto the table. "You are gross and a cynic. What a catch of a roommate you'd turn out to be."

Klaus chuckled, slipping his hand into the pocket of his slacks as he took another sip of his coffee. "Well, you'll apparently never know, what with you riding off into the sunset with your Prince Charming." He shook his head at her glare, smiling, a pair of identical dimples appearing in his cheeks. "Let me know when that fairytale comes to an end, sweetheart. My offer may still stand."

He grinned again, turning on his heel and striding down the hall, leaving Caroline to glare after him. She shook her head, huffing as she threw herself further against her seat. A quiet chuckle from the brunette across from her drew her attention, and she lifted a brow as she met her friend's amused gaze.

"You two should have a sitcom."

Caroline rolled her eyes, scoffing with a smile, and turned back to her apartment hunt.

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"It took a lot of negotiation, but I think we've landed Marquez a pretty sweet deal with the Broncos, so we can file it in the win column, I guess."

Caroline nodded with a smile as she raised her wineglass to her lips, eyes sparkling as they raptly watched the man across the table as he spoke.

Tyler Lockwood had always carried himself with a confidence that she envied. When she met him her first weekend in New York-one of those god awful mixers Katherine had dragged her to help her acclimate away from her "small town sadness"-she'd found his obvious cockiness and smug grin off putting. He'd reminded her of the jocks from her high school, overconfident and over enthused, and she'd not wanted a thing to do with him.

He traveled in the same social circles as Katherine did, however, and their paths continued to cross. She'd listen to him regale her with the facts of his jobs as a sports agent-"The best my company has seen in a decade they told me. Not that I want to brag or anything."-and politely brush off his suggestions that they go for a drink sometime.

She'd found him insufferable and egotistical, and she'd wanted nothing to do with him.

And then his father had died.

She remembered running into him at a little hole in the wall bar, nearly stopping in her steps with a grimace when she'd recognized his profile as he slouched over the counter, an open bottle of whiskey next him as he'd lifted shot after shot to his lips. Her grimace had faded into a frown when he'd turned and spotted her, barely sparing her a second glance before he turned back to his drink, and her frown had become concern because she'd never seen Tyler Lockwood look so much in despair as she had in that moment. So she'd took a seat next to him, letting him slide another glass towards her and listened as he told her how her father had died from a sudden aneurysm in the middle of a town meeting.

She'd seen a different side to Tyler then. She'd seen past the stuck up jock, the man with an ego, and seen a young boy who'd lost his father. She'd seen that the airs he put on and the image he tried to project were all just that-fake. A way to try to show his father that he was more than the old man had ever assumed he could be. She'd seen insecurity and vulnerability, and she'd connected with him over that never forgotten feeling about just not being enough for parents who expected a little too much.

And so she'd given him a chance after that. And then another. And another.

And three years later, here they sat.

Tyler sighed, tilting his head as he regarded her with dark eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. "Anyway...I've been rambling forever. I know you find all this stuff boring."

Caroline scrunched her nose with a smile, blonde curls swaying around her shoulders as she shook her head. "That's so not true." Tyler smirked knowingly, narrowing his gaze, and she laughed, shrugging. "Okay, maybe I get a little bored. But, I mean, it's fine. It's, you know...you. And I like you, so I like it."

Tyler's face softened, and he leaned forward in his chair, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his. "I like you too, Care," he said quietly, thumb tracing the top of her hand as he held her gaze. "These last three years have been...so amazing. You've been so amazing. The way you were after my dad died, and the promotions and the traveling, and all of it. You've been more than I ever could have hoped for. And I'm so grateful for you, Caroline."

Caroline laughed softly, curling her fingers into his palm. "Come on, Tyler. You don't have to be grateful for anything."

"Yeah, I do," he replied. "I mean...I don't know that I'd have gotten through everything without you. And you mean...so much to me, Caroline. I need you to know that."

She nodded, smile blinding as her heart thundered in her chest. "I do."

"And I've been doing a lot of thinking, the last couple months. About us and where we are...where we're going." His tongue darted out to lick his lips as he shifted in his seat. "I think, um...I think it's time for us to...take a break. For awhile."

_Take a break. For awhile._

_Take a break._

_Wait. What?_

"Wait...what?" Caroline asked, brow furrowed as she frowned. She felt her fingers slipping from his grasp as she pulled away, blinking into his downcast face as she tried to register his words. "Take a break...wait, are you...are you seriously breaking up with me right now?"

Tyler closed his eyes as he sighed, shaking his head as he slid his hands back towards the edge of the table. "Care…look, it's just...things are different now."

Caroline's eyes widened as she stared at him, surprised to feel a surge of anger welling in her chest instead of the dread that usually came with words preceding a breakup.

"Look, we've both been on such different paths this last year. I'm growing with the firm, and you've got your newspaper thing."

Her eyes narrowed at the flippant way he mentioned her career.

"We've barely seen each other and this distance...I don't know, it's just kind of put some things into perspective for me that weren't there before."

His use of the distance excuse, something that Caroline had brought up to him time and time again and he'd shot down her every concern, stating that not even an entire country between them could ever diminish the love they had for each other, had her frowning, and she stared at him until he finally lifted his gaze, his dark eyes meeting hers. There was something off in them, some bit of information she could see him hiding behind an uncomfortable gaze, and she felt her shoulders drop. She recognized that look in his eyes.

Her father had carried that same look for months before he finally admitted to her mother that he had fallen in love with someone else.

"Who is she?"

Tyler flinched slightly, running a hand along the back of his suit collar as he shifted in his head. "Caroline…"

"Who is she, Tyler?" she demanded, flattening her hands on the table and glaring him down.

He sighed. "Hayley."

A beat of silence settled between them as the name registered with her, and then her face was scrunching, hands waving in the air in front of her face as a bark of laughter left her lips. "_Hayley_? As in, 'oh, don't worry babe, she's someone I just work with' Hayley?" The anger in the pit of her stomach had suddenly turned to rage, the image of a pouty lipped brunette in skin tight dresses and sultry glances filling her mind. The newest agent to join the sports firm, Hayley Marshall had been paired with Tyler for training sessions. Caroline could remember being hesitant when Tyler had introduced them at an office party over a year ago, the way the other girl had smirked and leaned against her boyfriend never quite sitting well with her. Tyler had always brushed off her concerns, making her feel like she was being shallow and insecure, and she'd always end up shaking them off with a smile and a laugh as he'd press kiss to her cheek.

Apparently her concerns had been very valid.

"You and Hayley?" she said, her voice rising as the reality of the situation she was in finally set in.

"Keep your voice down," Tyler scolded, gaze darting to the tables around them where their occupants had begun to cast curious glances in their direction.

"Keep my voice down?" Caroline snapped, slamming her hands onto the table, their plates rattling. "Well, I'm sorry, Tyler, but maybe you should have opted for a more private venue for your Hayley bombshell and breakup speech."

"Excuse me for wanting to make this as easy as possible," Tyler snapped back, his dark eyes narrowed and his voice low as he leaned towards her over the table. "Look, Caroline, I'm sorry that we're having to do this at all, but it's just the way it's turned out, okay? I couldn't keep stringing you along, trying to force myself to feel things that I just don't feel anymore."

"And you feel them with Hayley?" Caroline asked, her voice softer and her gaze not quite as heated. She could feel the rawness in her throat, and the burn of tears slowly making their way to the surface. She could feel the world she thought she'd known slowly crumbling down around her.

Tyler stared at her, his jaw clenching, eyes looking everywhere but her. The murmur of the restaurant settled around them, the clinking of glasses and the soft chitchat of the couples surrounding them, and then finally he met her gaze. He sighed, fingers tapping against the white tablecloth. "There's something there. Something...something I can't really explain. But I have to figure out. Me and her...I have to see what it is."

Caroline flinched, reeling back into her chair, one hand reaching up to cradle her forehead as she used the other to push herself away from the table.

Tyler reached out for her, his hand sliding across the table. "Caroline, I'm sorry."

She moved before the thought even really took hold, grabbing her glass of champagne and quickly tossing the liquid into his face. He pulled back, spluttering as he reached for the napkin by his plate, and Caroline slammed her glass back onto the table, her chair screeching across the floor as she shot to her feet.

She could feel the dozens of eyes following her as she grabbed her purse and turned on her heel, storming towards the front of the restaurant.

"Mature, Care," Tyler's words yelled at her back. "Real mature."

"Go fuck yourself," she yelled over her shoulder, glaring at the maitre 'd as he rushed towards their table. The man held up his hands as she stormed past him, and Caroline bit the inside of her cheek to muffle the sob welling in her chest, even as the tears began to course down her cheeks.

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"I always told you that bloke was no good."

Caroline groaned as she buried her face in her hands, elbows on the table as she slumped in her seat. "I seriously do not need an 'I-told-you-so' right now, Enzo."

Enzo replied with a short chuckle, and Caroline slid her hands down her face as she heard the faint clinking as he sat two glasses on the table next to her. She rested her chin in her hands, watching as the man turned back from the counter with a glass bottle, the bourbon sloshing against the sides as he made his way to the table.

The lid was quickly twisted off and away, clattering to the ground as he poured the amber colored liquid into the glasses, his dark brows lifted as he shrugged. "No, but you could use a drink." He slid into the chair next to her, plopping the bottle down with a thunk and sliding one of the glasses towards her with a smirk. "Bottoms up, Gorgeous."

She sighed as her fingers wrapped around the glass, lifting it to her lips and tossing it back with a grimace, the liquid burning a trail down her throat. She cringed as she set the glass back on the table, pushing her hair back from her face and watching as her best friend simply refilled the glass even as he knocked back his own.

She cupped the shot glass in her hands, fingers tracing the rim, and her vision blurred as she felt the welling of tears coming forth again. She shook her head with a sigh, lips quivering, and she whispered, "I don't know what to do."

Across the table, her companion was silent. His glass scraped across the table as he moved it slightly, and his chair creaked as he shifted more towards her.

Caroline Forbes and Lorenzo Augustine had been friends since freshman year of college. They'd shared the same coed dormitory, their rooms across the hall from the other, and from the start Caroline had known there was something about the roguish Brit she'd liked. Sure, she found him aggravating. He was cocky and flirtatious, always with some lewd comment on his lips and a lingering glance that had her rolling her eyes.

They had the same English Lit course at the start of the week, so every morning they'd traipse their way across campus together, Caroline insulting him after every flirty comment, and somewhere between the start and end of the semester, they'd fallen into a comfortable groove of friendship.

It wasn't until Enzo had found her crying in the hall of their dorm at three in the morning-makeup running and one stiletto heel snapped off, after discovering that Liam Davis, the handsome Pre-Med student she'd been falling head over heels for all year, had only been seeing her as an excuse to get close to Elena Gilbert, her childhood friend and roommate who Caroline had always felt a little insecure around-did their casual friendship turn into the lifelong bond they shared now.

She still remembered Enzo crouching down next to her, cupping her chin in his hand and lifting her face to his. She remembered the way his jaw clenched and his eyes darkened for the brief moment before they softened, and he was lifting her into his arms and pushing open the door to his room. He'd taken care of her that night, loaning her a too big pair of sweatpants and T-shirt, tucking her into his bed as he spread across the futon across the room, his long legs stretching uncomfortably off its edge as he told her in the darkness that she was strong enough to get through this._ "If he can't see that you're worth a dozen Elena Gilberts, than he's not worth your time, Gorgeous."_

The next day she'd passed Liam on the Quad. He'd been fervently trying to avoid her gaze, ducking his head as he hurried past, but she'd caught sight of the already blackening eye and bruise forming on the man's jaw.

She found Enzo waiting for her after her Biology class, two cups of frozen yogurt in his hands and unrepentant smirk on his face. She hadn't scolded him, just gave him a teasing glare, taking the Styrofoam cup from his hand with a smile and falling into step next to him. She'd bumped his shoulder, _"You could have just let me marinate in my self pity alone, you know." He'd shrugged, lifting his spoon to his mouth. "Why do that when it's much more fun to just marinate with you?" He'd winked at her then, his lips quirking up into his infamous smirk. "Gotta keep you smiling, Gorgeous."_

And now, nearly eight years later, they were in the same situation.

Caroline dropped her head into her hands, sniffling. "God, I should have just seen it coming. I feel so blindsided. We were having two entirely different conversations, and while I'm here planning my future with him, and he's just...ugh." She leaned into her hand, lifting her red rimmed gaze to see Enzo staring at her. "Katherine was right."

Enzo grimaced, raising his glass to his lips. "That's a horrifying thought."

She laughed softly, tucking her ankles behind the legs of the chair as she sat up straighter, running her hands down her face. "She was though...she told me I was being quick to read into his messages. She told me that kind of message after that much distance never meant anything good, but I refused to listen. I told her me and Tyler were more than that." She sighed. "God, I'm an idiot."

"You're a lot of things, Caroline Forbes, but an idiot isn't one of them."

Caroline laughed, raising her head. "Enzo...I gave up my apartment because of a message from Tyler. I literally gave up the roof over my head because I read too much into a voicemail, and now, in less than two and half weeks, I will have nowhere to live. I'm going to be homeless. A dumb, stupid homeless idiot who can't see past her own naive dreams and hopeless optimism." She sunk back into her chair, staring despairingly at the ceiling. "Oh, God, this isn't happening."

"Relax, so you'll just crash here for awhile."

Caroline rolled her head against the back of the chair, lifting a brow as she narrowed her gaze. "Here? And what, sleep on the fold out futon and live off beer and Ramen Noodles while you're off saving lives and snagging NYFD groupies?"

While Caroline had found her niche at her small label newspaper, Enzo had found his as a member of the local fire department. He'd quickly worked his way up the ranks, landing a captain position a few short years after joining the station. He loved the thrill, and while she often worried about him every time she spotted a blaze happening on the evening news, she knew Enzo was smart and careful. He also loved the attention, and she'd lost count of how often women had swooned over him in his black T-shirts and ash covered tactical pants.

His job often had him away from his apartment days at a time, which was why it never bothered him living in the small studio apartment with nothing more than nonperishable food lining his cupboards.

Enzo shrugged. "Worked during university."

Caroline laughed, shaking her head.

"Alright, so you crash with someone else who has more room and is home more often. Bonnie was planning a move down here before too long, wasn't she?"

Bonnie Bennett was the other best friend of their little trio, though the dark skinned elementary school teacher was more partial to Caroline than Enzo. She'd transferred to their college sophomore year, and after graduating had taken a job in New Jersey teaching at a private elementary school. She'd been looking to move closer to the city in the last few years, even applying to several schools for the upcoming school years.

"She won't be here for months if she does," Caroline replied sadly.

"Well, we can't have you rooming with Katherine," Enzo said with distaste, his lip curling up at the thought of the dark haired brunette whom he'd never been able to get along with. Too much ego and not even compatibility, Caroline had always told them. He sighed with a hum, cocking his head as he poured himself another shot. "Anyone else come to mind?"

The memory of a sarcastic smirk and an offer of a spare room suddenly filled her head, and Caroline dropped her head back with a groan. She could feel Enzo's confused gaze on her as she covered her face with her hands. "Unfortunately, yes," she said, her words muffled as she ran her hands down her face. "God, fuck Tyler and the day I met him."

"Something tells me this isn't a happy prospect."

Caroline sighed, draping her hands over her stomach as she looked at him.

She never was a fan of eating crow.

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Caroline sighed as she shifted the duffel bag on her shoulder, her fingers tightening around the handle of the suitcase at her feet. The hallway was quiet as she rapped on the door, the beige carpet fraying slightly under her feet.

She lifted her head when she heard soft footsteps approaching from the other side of the door, and she forced a small smile onto her face as it swung open, swallowing the groan welling in her throat as she looked at the smirking face of her new roommate.

"Well, well…welcome to the lair of the devil, sweetheart." He grinned, stepping back and waving his arm towards the interior of the apartment. "Do make yourself at home."

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**Oh, dear. Our OTP is in for quite an adventure.**

**Hopefully you've found this a little intriguing, and you'll stay tuned for what's to come. It's going to be a fun ride, so hopefully you'll join.**

**Don't hesitate to let me know what you think, and as always, pop on over to klarolineepiclove on Tumblr for all kinds of fun hooplah.**

**Until next time, my lovelies!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Strange Bedfellows**

**Chapter Two**

**A.N. Well, goodness. It's been awhile hasn't it? **

**I'm sorry it's taken so long, but hopefully this means my muse is back in action! The catastrophe that TVD and TO have become certainly haven't helped, but the Klaroline faith will never die. Fanon forever, y'all! **

**Thanks to Miranda and Jane for their help with this chapter. **

**Read and, hopefully enjoy! **

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"I still can't believe you're actually _living_ with _Klaus_."

Caroline sighed as she plopped down on the bed, cradling her phone between her cheek and shoulder as she shifted the bag of toiletries in her hands. "Tell me about it," she murmured, casting her eyes around the bare room. Half packed boxes were neatly lined up against the yellow painted walls. Precariously stacked towers of books lined the vanity table, awaiting their places in the oak bookshelf that sat in a far corner. The pale purple bedding sat folded next to her, while the open closet housed piles of clothing that waited to be hung in their rightful place.

Katherine's chuckle tore Caroline away from her distress at the long to-do list she faced, and she shifted the phone back to her hand. "I mean, really. It's just, like...wow." She quietly chuckled again, and Caroline could picture her brunette friend's smirk in her mind. "Oh, I'm sure Enzo had quite a bit to say about your new living arrangements. He always seems to think he has more say in your life than even you do."

Caroline rolled her eyes, an affectionate smile tugging at her lips. The tension that existed between Katherine and Enzo was nothing new. Since the day she'd introduced them, it had seemed that the pair declared war on each other, never getting along and making it a point to goad the other anytime they were in the same vicinity of each other. It always baffled her, to be honest. Katherine Pierce and Lorenzo Augustine were essentially the same person.

Though perhaps that was the answer in itself.

"Believe it or not, Enzo kept his opinion to himself," she answered as she pulled herself to her feet, tucking the phone between her shoulder again as she pulled open the bedroom door. "He realized this was the only option, because God knows our days of me crashing on his futon are well in the past." She shuffled down the hallway, lowering her voice as she peered into the large living room, noting the soft jazz music playing from the stereo in the corner, but seeing no sign of her new roommate. "Besides, I think he's way too occupied coming up with revenge plans against Tyler to try to make any kind of argument."

The sound of glasses clinking against each other drew her attention to the kitchen as she passed, peering around the island to see Klaus standing at the counter, his back to her and his attention focused on the glasses he was pulling from a cupboard.

"Well, that's certainly one thing he and I can agree on for once," Katherine was saying in her ear, and Caroline turned her attention back to her task at hand, turning into the room Klaus had showed her as the bathroom, hitting the lightswitch with her free hand before kicking the door closed behind her. "I mean, I know I always told you Tyler was a douche, but how much douchier can you get."

"Please, Katherine, don't even try to pretend that you're not chomping at the bit to say 'I told you so,'" Caroline muttered, tossing her toiletry bag into the sink at glaring at her reflection. "Because I know you are. You're the one who insisted the mysterious voicemail wasn't what I was hyping it up to be, and you were right. So just, you know, get it out."

"What, and kick you when you're down? Even I'm not that heartless. And, come on, I didn't even know it was going to be a break up dinner. As I said, I didn't know he was that much of a douche, but clearly I have been mistaken." Katherine sighed. "How are you?"

Caroline barked out a laugh as she pulled open the medicine cabinet, noting the empty shelves she assumed Klaus had cleared out for her. "How am I? Humiliated. Foolish. With this unbearable ache in my chest that I'm honestly not sure comes from anger or grief." She shook her head, cursing the burning in her eyes as the tears she'd been shedding for days seemed to remerge. She busied herself with filling the shelves, lining up the skin care products and tubes of make up. "Feeling like a complete idiot, that's how I am."

"Well, you're not, you know," Katherine said quietly.

Caroline smiled sadly as she clicked the cabinet shut. "I am," she disputed. "But thank you all the same."

She eyed the other side of the medicine cabinet with curiosity, tapping her fingers against the mirror for a moment before glancing over her shoulder and pulling open Klaus' side, her face turning up in a scowl as she noted the numerous multicolored boxes that sat nestled between bottles of aftershave and tubes of deodorant. "God, Klaus has more condoms than a whore house," she said quietly, rolling her eyes as she softly closed the mirrored door.

"And I'm not the least bit surprised," Katherine snorted. "Oh, but maybe leave out the part about your new roommate being a condom hoarder when you talk to your mom this week."

Caroline groaned as she pulled open the bathroom door, sulking back down the hallway as she thought about the conversation with her mother that seemed inevitable.

Liz had been understandably concerned when Caroline had dropped the bomb that she was moving out of her apartment and in with a coworker-and she'd never been more thankful that she'd left it at coworker instead of naming Klaus outright-but when she'd explained that she and Tyler had broken up and her hands had been tied, her mother had seemed to be slightly appeased.

Slightly.

Caroline promised to explain everything more when they spoke again, and she knew there was no easy to explain she'd jumped the gun with Tyler only to be let down, or to avoid the reveal that said coworker was the one she'd complained about last Thanksgiving after witnessing a particularly nauseating interaction between Klaus and the new girl from the mailroom. And while Liz Forbes may adore Enzo and appreciate the friendship he and Caroline shared, she somehow doubted her mother would be quite so understanding a second time around.

"Well, baby steps. I'll deal with that hurdle when she calls later this week." Passing by the kitchen, she saw Klaus settling onto the couch, a glass full of amber colored liquid in one hand and what looked like a sketch pad in the other. She sighed, stepping into her bedroom and wrapping an arm around her waist as she perused the mess around her. "Look, I've got so much to still unpack, so…"

"Caroline, you've barely been moved in for twelve hours. Let your control freak OCD go for one day, and just try to get a good night's sleep. The day will probably still be dark and bleak tomorrow, but at least you'll look drop dead gorgeous."

The blonde smiled. "Thanks, Kat."

"My pleasure, Care," her friend said, her smile evident in her voice. "Oh, and um...I did tell you so."

Caroline laughed as she heard the phone call disconnect, shaking her head as she tossed her phone onto the bed, wrapping her arms around herself as she perused the room again. The tightening in her chest was back in full force as she realized how quickly her life had unraveled, and she took a deep breath as she stepped further into the room.

Her eyes landed on her bedside table, brow furrowing when she spotted the paper propped up against a glass tumbler filled with what looked like scotch. She frowned, crossing the short distance, reaching out with hesitant fingers to lift the paper in her hands.

_Anesthetic for the pain._

Her face softened as she stared at the sentence scrawled across the page, teeth capturing her lower lip as she shifted her attention to the glass that rested on the table top. She cast a glance over her shoulder towards the hallway as she picked the tumbler up, ice cubes clinking against the sides as she brought it to her face.

The familiar smell of scotch greeted her, and she couldn't help the small smug smirk that tugged at her lips, making a mental note to brag to Enzo that she was mastering her liquor knowledge. She sat the note down on the table, turning on her heel and walking towards the door and into the hallway.

Klaus was nursing his own glass as she approached the couch. He sat with an ankle crossed at the knee, sketch pad propped on his lap, a charcoal pencil clutched in his hand as his fingers seemed to fly across the page.

As she stopped next to the couch, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye but remained silent. Caroline shifted on her feet, lifting the glass slightly in her hand as she smiled. "Thanks."

Klaus' lips twitched, but he still said nothing, simply lifting his glass to his mouth as he continued sketching.

Caroline tapped her fingers against the side of her glass, moving until she sat perched on the sofa, resting her hands in her lap as she looked over at him. "What you are you drawing?"

Klaus tsked, shaking his head as he lifted an eyebrow. "Come now, sweetheart. An artist never reveals his work until it's finished."

She rolled her eyes, noting the amused smirk that creeped across his face, and she lifted the glass to her own, taking a large gulp and wincing as the drink burned down her throat. Silence settled between them for several seconds, and then Caroline glanced at him again. "You probably think I'm pretty stupid, huh?" she asked quietly, slumping back into the cushions.

Klaus offered a shrug, draping his elbow across the back of the couch as he shifted towards her. "No. Not at all."

Caroline scoffed. "Oh please. Just the other day, you were all 'happily ever afters are stupid, and monogamy is dumb. True love doesn't exist, blah blah blah.'"

"I believe it was a more that they were silly notions, but..."

"But, pretty much the same thing. And clearly, you were right. So...go dumb me," she muttered with a sigh, throwing back the rest of her scotch with a wince. Her face scrunched as she stared down into her glass. "Dumb, stupid me."

Klaus sighed as he looked over at her, a teasing smirk on his face. "Is this what my future looks like, then?" he asked. "Tear filled evenings, commiserating about lost ex-lovers and bad decisions?"

Caroline laughed, shaking her head and swiping at the dampness she could feel on her cheeks. "Please. Something tells me you've never commiserated about an 'ex-lover' in your life."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Ah, yes. Heartless disbeliever in love that I am." He sighed, glancing over to see Caroline staring at the ceiling, worrying her lip. "Okay. If we're going to indulge in self pity, we're certainly not going to do it on a two hundred dollar bottle of scotch." He pulled himself off the couch, flipping his sketchpad shut and tossing it onto the end table as he maneuvered around the sofa.

Caroline craned her neck to watch him pad into the kitchen. He returned a moment later, two shot glasses in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other. She smirked, shifting on the couch until she could tuck her feet beneath her. "Encouraging me to drown my sorrows in alcohol?"

"It is one of it's many uses," he said, settling back into his seat and quickly pouring them both a drink. He smirked as he handed Caroline her glass, shifting back against the couch as he held his own up. "To silly notions, love?"

Caroline looked at her shot glass before glancing up at him. She sighed, rolling her eyes with a smile as she tossed the drink back, waving her hand towards the bottle as he downed his own. She gripped the neck of the bottle tightly, pouring the clear liquid into their glasses before gently clinking them together. "To silly notions," she repeated, scoffing a laugh as she threw the shot back once more.

**000000**

She'd lost count around the sixth or seventh shot. She didn't even know how long they'd been sitting there drinking, but she did know that her head was fuzzy and her tendency to babble had come out full force.

"You're not the only one who thinks I'm stupid, you know," Caroline mumbled, staring up at the ceiling as she tapped her fingers against her chin. She sluggishly turned her face to peer over at her drinking companion, squinting as she tried to focus on his blurred face. She could vaguely make out his amused smirk and the questioning arch of his brow, and she pulled at her bottom lip as she shrugged. "Katherine was just...itching to drop the I told you so."

"Well, Katherine Pierce is a horrendous human being, so I wouldn't concern myself too much with her."

Caroline snorted, a bubble of drunken laughter escaping her lips, and she draped her hands across her stomach as she stretched her legs out onto the table in front of her. "She is really awful," she giggled, shaking her head. "She was the first friend I made when I moved to the city though. So she's my really awful, horrendous human being, even if she is mean and grumpy." She glared at him, holding out a finger. "But don't you tell her I said that."

Klaus shrugged, crossing his feet at the ankles as he leaned back into the couch. "I wouldn't dare."

Caroline nodded, reaching out to pat his knee but missing her mark entirely, her fingers tapping against the couch cushion between them. She sighed, returning her gaze to the ceiling. Her brow furrowed. "What was I talking about?"

"Katherine and her unappealing habit of saying I told you so."

"Right," she said, sighing. "She thinks I'm stupid for throwing everything in my Tyler basket. Which was dumb, I mean, who keeps just one basket? I should have had….like...four or five baskets. That's just not being prepared. Dumb. Dumb, that's what it is, it's dumb. Just like me. Dumb, dumb Caroline Forbes, who stupidly believed that...love could prevail."

They settled into silence then for a moment, Caroline closing her eyes as her head began to lull against the couch cushion, the haziness in her brain starting to drift into drowsiness. The couch creaked as Klaus shifted on the opposite end, and she drew a deep breath, tilting her head towards him the slightest bit.

"You're an optimist, Caroline," he said quietly, and she cracked open an eye to see him staring ahead at the wall, fingers tapping against the arm of the couch. "You see the world in a way very few do. There's nothing dumb about that."

"Mr. Cynical commending me for optimism?" Caroline murmured, reaching up to rub a hand across her tired eyes as she looked at him.

Klaus smirked, leaning back against the couch and craning his neck so he could meet her gaze. "Believe it or not, but there are times I commend those people who choose to see the world through rose tinted glasses. My sister Rebekah...she's suffered more heartbreak than anyone ever should. Granted, she's not exactly snagging the real winners in her heart's ventures, but despite the tears and the pain, she just...eagerly awaits to do it again. She goes into it with such naive hopefulness that it just…" He trailed off with a sigh. "There's a certain bravery in that. To persevere amidst such despair."

Caroline stared at him, watching the way his face softened as he spoke of his sister, catching the small, fleeting envious tone in his voice before he turned to look at her again, and she smiled. "Are you saying you think I'm brave?" she whispered.

Klaus chuckled, reaching over the pluck the glass from her hand and set it on the table. "At the moment, love, I'd say you're well and truly pissed."

She snorted, snuggling back into the couch and finally letting her eyes close. "Damn right I am." She sighed, feeling her head droop, her chin brushing her chest, and then the room was spinning as she found herself lifted from her comfortable perch. She started, arms automatically tightening around Klaus' neck as he draped her legs over one arm, the other cradling her back as he stood to his full height.

Caroline giggled, tossing her head back as she crossed her ankles and lifted a hand to pat Klaus' scruffy cheek. "This was fun," she said. "We should do this again. It could be our thing."

Klaus smirked as he headed down the hallway, glancing at Caroline as she leaned back in his arms, her blonde hair swaying against his side as peered upside down at the passing walls. "If you say so, love."

"No, seriously. All roommates have to have a thing. This could be ours. Commiserating and drowning our sorrows in cheap vodka."

"Cheap vodka and tap water. I switched barely half way through."

Caroline snapped her head up faster than he would have given her credit for in her current state, and his steps faltered with the sheer force of the movement, frowning as he looked down into her wide eyes.

"You _fake pity drank_ with me?"

He laughed at the ire he heard in her voice, her lips parted in an offended gasp, and he grinned, shaking his head. "Someone had to keep an eye on you. I do happen to recall the effect free flowing alcohol tends to have on you, Caroline, as evidenced by the office Christmas party two years ago."

"Ugh, that was a one time thing," she groaned, throwing her head back again, and Klaus had to readjust his grip on her when her arms followed, hands covering her face, and he bit back a laugh as he stepped into her room.

His eyes took in the boxes scattered across the room, each one pushed up against a wall, with Caroline's familiar feminine scrawl dictating what rested within each one. The open closet door showed an array of colorful clothing already hanging within, while an assortment of piles still sat on the floor, awaiting their turn. He wasn't the least bit surprised to see that they were coordinated by color, and the sight even brought a small smile to his face as he crossed to the bed.

He gave the bare mattress a fleeting glance, noting Caroline's sudden silence and the fact that her hands were now cradled on her stomach, her eyes closed and her breathing heavy and even. Kneeling down on the side of the mattress, he carefully shifted the slumbering blonde out of his arms. She curled onto her side as he reached towards the foot of the bed for the folded comforter, shaking it out to its full length and draping it across her.

He watched the fabric settle around her curled body, a sigh escaping her lips as she shifted further under the blanket, her hands tucked beneath her chin. He stood at the bedside for a moment longer, waiting to see if she would awaken, and when she remained still he turned and headed for the door.

"You know...you're not as awful as you'd like everybody to believe you are."

His fingers had just wrapped around the doorknob when her quiet voice called to him, and he glanced over his shoulder, seeing her eyes peering at him sleepily as she tucked the comforter around her torso.

He raised a teasing brow, his lips curled up into a smile. "Let's not let that get out too much. I do have a reputation to uphold."

A quiet sigh, the shifting of the mattress, and then came her quiet, "Good night, Klaus."

He nodded, turning back around and stepping into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind him with a murmured, "Goodnight, Caroline."

**000000000**

**Klaroline bonding. Tyler bashing. And of course, sassy Katherine. **

**This was a bit more of a filler chapter, setting everything up, but hopefully you still enjoyed it.**

**Hit me up on Tumblr for crazy babbling and all sorts of shenanigans: klarolineepiclove.**

**Until next time, lovelies!**


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